A migrant walks on the railway connecting the city of Arriaga (Chiapas) to...READ ON
A migrant walks on the railway connecting the city of Arriaga (Chiapas) to Chahuites (Oaxaca). This road through fields is known to be particularly dangerous. Central American migrants here have regularly their backpacks and shoes stolen by people armed with machetes or guns. Things can go wrong if the migrants resist the gangs of robbers. 07/02/2017 Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico.
SOUTHERN BORDER
Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, USA, 2017-2021 For Le Monde, Rendez-Vous Photo, Amnesty International, El Pais, Bloomberg.
The inauguration of Donald Trump as 45ᵉ President of the United States took place on Friday, January 20, 2017. Among his shocking proposals, the candidate had promised the construction of a "Great Wall" at the border between the United States and Mexico to effectively protect his country from all kinds of scourges: irregular emigration and drug importation. During these four years of presidency, violence in the countries of the northern triangle of Central America (Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala) and the policies of the Trump government have led migrants to a dramatic situation of non-return. By brandishing the threat of an increase in taxes on Mexican exports, Trump succeeded in putting pressure on his southern neighbour to contain the migratory waves on its southern border by deploying the National Guard and carrying out massive police arrests against migrants. With this blackmail, Trump subcontracted the control of access to its territory to Mexico.
"The border of the United States begins in the south of Mexico. This is how Central American, Cuban, Haitian and African migrants tell the story of their journey to achieve the American dream.It all starts at the border between Mexico and Guatemala on makeshift rafts launched on the Rio Suchiate before walking for days on end and venturing out on "La Bestia", the famous freight train that crosses the country. Avoiding the Mexican migration police, alone or in caravans, despite the long journey and the many dangers, thousands of migrants take this route every day to flee the gangs and violence that plague their respective countries. A migration route that changes from day to day, depending on the mood, politics or police pressure of the countries of the North. Migrants lose their money, their dignity and sometimes even their lives.
Under stifling heat, the members of the caravan decide to take a two-day...READ ON
Under stifling heat, the members of the caravan decide to take a two-day break in the small village of Tapanatepec. They take the opportunity to rest, wash their clothes and bathe in the river that runs below the village. Starting on 25 March 2018 from Tapachula in southern Mexico, on the border with Guatemala, more than 1,500 migrant men, women and children take part of a month-long "caravan" to the Mexican city of Tijuana at the border with the United States. Organized by "Pueblos sin fronteras" (People without borders) this march aims at protecting migrants from the authorities but as well from the gangs and cartels that regularly prey on them when isolated. It was the first caravan of its kind set-up after Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States. 29/03/18 San Pedro Tapanatepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Young migrants resting after having walked about ten kilometers between the...READ ON
Young migrants resting after having walked about ten kilometers between the city of Arriaga (Chiapas) and Chahuites (Oaxaca). The water they drink comes from a cow trough. A few hours later after this picture was taken, the Mexican Migration Police (INM) carried out an operation across the fields and two migrants were captured. This cross-country route is especially feared by migrants. 07/02/2017 Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico.
Norma (L) is the founder of “Las Patronas”, a grass root charity...READ ON
Norma (L) is the founder of “Las Patronas”, a grass root charity that gives food to the migrants travelling on board the train nicknamed by the migrants "La Bestia" (The Beast) that crosses Mexico from South to North. “Las Patronas” began first on February 14, 1995, the day Leonila Vazquez and her daughter Norma Romero, came back from the market and saw the freight train passing with migrants on board asking them for food. All they could do at that time was to throw them their breakfasts they just bought without really understanding the situation. Since then around ten women prepare bags of food on a daily basis while waiting for the train to pass through their village. 17/03/2017 Amatlán de los Reyes, Veracruz, Mexico.
Two migrants wake up from a second night on “La Bestia" (The...READ ON
Two migrants wake up from a second night on “La Bestia" (The Beast). Around 500,000 migrants, the majority of them from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, board this train every year to try to reach the United States. The train which carries goods like corn, cement or minerals is regularly stopped to be inspected by the Mexican Migration Police (INM). Risks of boarding this train are high and many are victims of armed robbery and amputation following a fall. Some use a rope or a belt to avoid falling down during the night. Since 9, May 2014 migrants are banned from travelling on the train y railways operators. 22/04/2017 San Manuel, Tabasco, Mexico.
After a 4-hour trip on “La Bestia" (The Beast), the men...READ ON
After a 4-hour trip on “La Bestia" (The Beast), the men originating from the migrant caravan came down. Upon their arrival, the migration police blocked their way giving them an ultimatum of 24 hours to hide before actively looking and expelling them from Mexico. The same day, Donald Trump's first speech about the caravan forced the Mexican government to harden its migration policy. 01/04/18 Matias Romero, Oaxaca, Mexico.
A member of the National Guard monitors the arrival of migrants on the banks...READ ON
A member of the National Guard monitors the arrival of migrants on the banks of the Suchiate River, on the border between Mexico and Guatemala. In March 2019 President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) reached an agreement with Donald Trump and deployed the National Guard to stop the arrival of migrants at Mexico's southern border. In 2021, at the end of Donald Trump's mandate, Mexico continued to prohibit migrants to enter in the country. 19/01/2021 Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, Mexico.
Members of the migrant caravan rest on the freight train hoping for an...READ ON
Members of the migrant caravan rest on the freight train hoping for an imminent departure. In the end the train will not leave. Migrants will continue their journey on foot the next morning after a night in the central square of Arriaga. 28/03/18 Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico.
In La 72 shelter for migrants in the town of Tenosique, the meals offered are...READ ON
In La 72 shelter for migrants in the town of Tenosique, the meals offered are mainly made up of corn tortillas and red beans. That evening, after a phone call from a farmer, a group of migrants equipped with machetes and kitchen knives went to cut up a cow that had died of natural causes that was offered by the farmer. The La 72 shelter was named after the 2010 San Fernando massacre of 72 migrants by Los Zêtas, a drug cartel in Tamaulipas state in northern Mexico. 10/03/2017 Tenosique, Tabasco, Mexico.
Paula and Luis are fleeing Honduras and El Salvador because of the violence...READ ON
Paula and Luis are fleeing Honduras and El Salvador because of the violence in their respective countries. After having walked about 50 km on foot, they have just arrived at a migrant's shelter in Mapastepec, 150Km from the border with Guatemala and are are praying before dinner at the house they stay at. The inhabitants of Mapastepec are very involved and every evening a new family welcomes the migrants for dinner. 04/02/2017 Mapastepec, Chiapas, Mexico.
The migrants of the caravan leave early in the morning. Walking before...READ ON
The migrants of the caravan leave early in the morning. Walking before sunrise allows them to avoid the heat. That day, they will walk 20 km. 30/03/18 San Pedro Tapanatepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Migrants walk on the road in stifling heat without drinking water using the...READ ON
Migrants walk on the road in stifling heat without drinking water using the means on board to protect themselves from the sun. The next day the Mexican Migration Police (INM) will carry out an operation to capture and deport the members of this caravan to their country of origin. This is the third migrant caravan organized since the inauguration of Donald Trump. This caravan is made of 3,000 Central American, Cuban and African migrants. Donald Trump threatened Mexico with increasing import tariffs if Mexico does not prevent the flow of migrants at its southern border. As a direct result living conditions on the migration route have become tougher and migrants pay a heavy price of US migration policies. 20/04/2019 Mapastepec, Chiapas, Mexico.
At sunrise, migrants from the caravan rest on the roadside exhausted from the...READ ON
At sunrise, migrants from the caravan rest on the roadside exhausted from the first kilometers on foot. That day, they will walk 20 km. 30/03/18 San Pedro Tapanatepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
After 20 days of waiting for an answer on their asylum application in Mexico,...READ ON
After 20 days of waiting for an answer on their asylum application in Mexico, Central American migrants take a day by the riverside near the mobile reception centre. Two hours later they were violently arrested by the Mexican migration police (INM) and deported to their country of origin. This change of policy is a direct result of Donald Trump's pressure on Mexico to adopt harsher migration policies. 19/04/2019 Mapastepec, Chiapas, Mexico.
Norma, the founder of “Las Patronas”, takes a group of migrants...READ ON
Norma, the founder of “Las Patronas”, takes a group of migrants in her car to help them catch a bus to reach the nearest town. The group is afraid to cross the city because it is guarded by the Mexican Migration Police (INM). After almost a month of high-risk travel, being deported is not an option for these migrants desperate to reach the United States despite all the hardships on the way. 15/03/2017 Amatlán de los Reyes, Veracruz, Mexico.
A young migrant is resting in the courtyard of La 72 migrants shelter. Behind...READ ON
A young migrant is resting in the courtyard of La 72 migrants shelter. Behind him the painting reads "Our demand is minimum, Justice". 28/03/2017 Tenosique, Tabasco, Mexico.
Danis a 19 years old from Honduras is resting after several days of walking...READ ON
Danis a 19 years old from Honduras is resting after several days of walking to reach the migrant's house of the city of Arriaga. The latter is an important place on the migration route. Central Americans migrants can rest there for 3 days before resuming their journey on foot or by train. In Arriaga lies the first stop of "La Bestia" (The Beast). 26/01/2018 Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico.
A migrant cuts his friend's hair in the migrant shelter of Father...READ ON
A migrant cuts his friend's hair in the migrant shelter of Father Solalinde's city of Ixtepec. "Hermanos en el camino" (Brothers on the Road) provides humanitarian aid to migrants from Central America. The shelter was founded by Alejandro Solalinde, a Mexican Catholic priest known for his commitment to help migrants throughout Mexico. 08/02/2017 Ixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
In Chahuites the inhabitants built a shelter for migrants with some metal...READ ON
In Chahuites the inhabitants built a shelter for migrants with some metal sheets. Migrants can spend the night there, wash their clothes and shoes before heading north again. 08/02/2017. Chahuites, Oaxaca, Mexico.
A migrant from the first migrant caravan picks up his clean laundry before...READ ON
A migrant from the first migrant caravan picks up his clean laundry before boarding a bus from the Municipality of Ixtepec that has been put at the disposal of the caravan so that they can proceed to the small village of Matias Romero about 70km away. 31/03/18 Ixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Grabriel a Haitian migrant, eats after his working day where he earns 200...READ ON
Grabriel a Haitian migrant, eats after his working day where he earns 200 Pesos MNX (10$) per day. He works in construction while waiting for a relaxation of Donald Trump's migration policy. A large Haitian community has settled in in the Scorpion Valley in the hills of Tijuana. According to local authorities and those in charge of migrant shelters the numbers are around 11,000 people. Most of the Haitians benefited from humanitarian visas granted by the Brazilian government after the 2010 earthquake. With the Football World Cup and the Rio Olympics on the horizon, they easily found jobs in Brazil. Following the economic crisis in the country many decided to reach the United States without suspecting that they would find the doors sealed and would get trapped in Mexico between the wall and the desert. 09/05/2017 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
Central American migrants who are members of the first caravan look at the...READ ON
Central American migrants who are members of the first caravan look at the freight train hoping for an imminent departure. After more than 250 km travelled solely on foot, the caravan members hope to be able to continue their journey aboard “La Bestia" (The Beast). 28/03/18 Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico.
Border wall under construction in the town of Tijuana. When Barack Obama was...READ ON
Border wall under construction in the town of Tijuana. When Barack Obama was president a budget was approved to change the old sheet metal wall to a steel wall 10 meters high, then Donald Trump continued the construction of the same wall as his predecessor. Of the 1600 km of walls promised by Donald Trump during his first presidential campaign, only 450 km have been built. Specifically, the vast majority of the barrier is built on areas that had already been subject to border protection under the presidencies of Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. 06/11/2020 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
Several families from Honduras joined the caravan when it was set up on the...READ ON
Several families from Honduras joined the caravan when it was set up on the border of Guatemala. After a 30km day's walk, childrens play in the central park of the small village of San Pedro Tapanatepec. 29/03/18 San Pedro Tapanatepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
A woman load a birthday balloon on raft to cross the Suchiate River border...READ ON
A woman load a birthday balloon on raft to cross the Suchiate River border from Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, to Tecun Uman, Guatemala. The Suchiate River is a porous border where migrants and residents cross on rafts from a country to another few meters from the official bridge. 21/01/2021 Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, Mexico.
Carlos, 21, takes a break while chopping wood for the kitchen of La 72. He...READ ON
Carlos, 21, takes a break while chopping wood for the kitchen of La 72. He lost his leg in Mexicali at the border with the United States when he fell off "La Bestia (The Beast). He is determined to take the road north again with his disability while he is in Tenosique, 3,500km south of Mexicali. 28/03/2017 Tenosique, Tabasco, Mexico.
Buses from the Municipality of Ixtepec are put at the disposal of the first...READ ON
Buses from the Municipality of Ixtepec are put at the disposal of the first caravan so that they can advance to the small village of Matias Romero about 70km away. 31/03/18 Ixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Migrants rest in the migrant's house in Chahuites, Oaxaca, after having...READ ON
Migrants rest in the migrant's house in Chahuites, Oaxaca, after having walked more than 50km in two days. Some of them are sick after drinking water from an old cow trough. 08/02/2017. Chahuites, Oaxaca, Mexico.
David, a 19-year-old Honduran boy, is resting in the migrant's house in...READ ON
David, a 19-year-old Honduran boy, is resting in the migrant's house in Arriaga, after having walked more than 280 kilometers for two weeks. The next day, he will walk two full days to find a shelter where he can rest. 06/02/2017 Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico.
Migrants from Honduras and El Salvador rest in the migrant's shelter in...READ ON
Migrants from Honduras and El Salvador rest in the migrant's shelter in the city of Arriaga. 26/01/2018 Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico.
Migrants rest in a bus from the municipality of Ixtepec that has been put at...READ ON
Migrants rest in a bus from the municipality of Ixtepec that has been put at the disposal of the first caravan so that they can advance to the small village of Matias Romero about 70km away. 31/03/18 Ixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Migrants from the caravan rest in a field near the road while others stop the...READ ON
Migrants from the caravan rest in a field near the road while others stop the cars passing by to ask for a financial assistance to pay a bus ticket to the next village for each member of the caravan. 31/03/18 Niltepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Two children play in the sand next to the wall that separates Mexico from the...READ ON
Two children play in the sand next to the wall that separates Mexico from the United States. In Tijuana the border started to be demarcated with a mere fence in 1990 under George Bush Sr presidency. From 1993, Bill Clinton had an impassable fence of 14 kilometres built. Today Donald Trump is completing this dispositive to prevent migrants from reaching the United States. 08/05/2017 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
Eduardo Lopez, 28 years old, is getting ready to take the bus to Guatemala,...READ ON
Eduardo Lopez, 28 years old, is getting ready to take the bus to Guatemala, the first stop on his way to the United States. In the bus station of San Pedro Sula, migrants wait every evening for the departure of the buses to Guatemala to begin their journey to the United States.
22/01/2019 San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Arrival of the body of Ingrid, 29 years old, found in a secret grave at the...READ ON
Arrival of the body of Ingrid, 29 years old, found in a secret grave at the border with the United States after having disappeared for 5 years. Members of the organization COFAMIPRO (National Union of Families of Disappeared Migrants) accompany and support the family when the body arrives. In Mexico dozen of thousands of migrants disappeared in the course of the past years. 23/01/2019 San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Funeral of Ingrid, 29 years old, found in a secret grave at the border with...READ ON
Funeral of Ingrid, 29 years old, found in a secret grave at the border with the United States after having disappeared for 5 years. Members of the organisation COFAMIPRO (National Union of Families of Disappeared Migrants) accompanied the family throughout the recovery of the body. 23/01/2019 El Progreso, Honduras.
SOUTHERN BORDER
Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, USA, 2017-2021 For Le Monde, Rendez-Vous Photo, Amnesty International, El Pais, Bloomberg.
The inauguration of Donald Trump as 45ᵉ President of the United States took place on Friday, January 20, 2017. Among his shocking proposals, the candidate had promised the construction of a "Great Wall" at the border between the United States and Mexico to effectively protect his country from all kinds of scourges: irregular emigration and drug importation. During these four years of presidency, violence in the countries of the northern triangle of Central America (Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala) and the policies of the Trump government have led migrants to a dramatic situation of non-return. By brandishing the threat of an increase in taxes on Mexican exports, Trump succeeded in putting pressure on his southern neighbour to contain the migratory waves on its southern border by deploying the National Guard and carrying out massive police arrests against migrants. With this blackmail, Trump subcontracted the control of access to its territory to Mexico.
"The border of the United States begins in the south of Mexico. This is how Central American, Cuban, Haitian and African migrants tell the story of their journey to achieve the American dream.It all starts at the border between Mexico and Guatemala on makeshift rafts launched on the Rio Suchiate before walking for days on end and venturing out on "La Bestia", the famous freight train that crosses the country. Avoiding the Mexican migration police, alone or in caravans, despite the long journey and the many dangers, thousands of migrants take this route every day to flee the gangs and violence that plague their respective countries. A migration route that changes from day to day, depending on the mood, politics or police pressure of the countries of the North. Migrants lose their money, their dignity and sometimes even their lives.